Neck fan

ABSTRACT

A neck fan, configured to be worn around a neck of a user, includes: an inner shell, disposed near the neck; an outer shell, connected to the inner shell and disposed opposite to the inner shell and away from the neck, wherein the outer shell and the inner shell cooperatively define a receiving space; a plurality of fan assemblies. Each fan assembly is received in the receiving space and connected to the inner shell and the outer shell. Each of the inner shell and the outer shell defines a plurality of air inlets, each fan assembly corresponds to both the air inlets in the inner shell and the air inlets in the outer shell, each of the plurality of fan assemblies is configured to intake air from an outside of the neck fan into the receiving space through the corresponding plurality of air inlets.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/717,131filed on Apr. 11, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/585,594, filed on Jan. 27, 2022. The U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/585,594 is a continuation of InternationalApplication No. PCT/CN2020/128564 filed on Nov. 13, 2020 under 35U.S.C.§ 371. The present application succeeds to all the priorities ofthe parent application Ser. No. 17/717,131, and the priorities includingChinese patent application No. 201921815938.3, filed on Oct. 25, 2019,and the International Application claims the priority of Chinese patentapplication No. 202022210032.8, filed on Sep. 30, 2020. Bothapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD

The subject matter herein generally relates to fans, and particularlyrelates to a fan hanging around a neck.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, people are increasingly pursuing a more convenientlife. In order to meet needs of practical fans for outdoor activities orother life scenes, there are a variety of portable fans in the market,such as neck fans. The emergence of neck fans solves limited activitydue to handheld fans. The neck fan can free users' hands and realizecooling anytime and anywhere without holding it, whether during sports,outdoor activities or in office.

Existing neck fan generally has a fan assembly with two fan bladesexposed at both ends of the neck fan. Such fan assembly not only has lowsafety that hair is easy to get involved in the fan blades, but also hasproblems such as outputted air being uncomfortable due to tooconcentrated air outlets, which needs to be improved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides a neck fan, configured to be worn arounda neck of a user. The neck fan includes: an inner shell, disposed nearthe neck; an outer shell, connected to the inner shell and disposedopposite to the inner shell and away from the neck, wherein the outershell and the inner shell cooperatively define a receiving space; aplurality of fan assemblies. Each of the plurality of fan assemblies isreceived in the receiving space. Each of the inner shell and the outershell defines a plurality of air inlets, each of the plurality of fanassemblies corresponds to both the plurality of air inlets in the innershell and the plurality of air inlets in the outer shell, each of theplurality of fan assemblies is configured to intake air from an outsideof the inner shell and the outer shell into the receiving space throughthe corresponding plurality of air inlets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Implementations of the present disclosure will now be described, by wayof embodiment, with reference to the attached figures. It should beunderstood, the drawings are shown for illustrative purpose only, forordinary person skilled in the art, other drawings obtained from thesedrawings without paying creative labor by an ordinary person skilled inthe art should be within scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a neck fan according to an embodiment ofthe present application.

FIG. 2 is an explosive view of a neck fan according to an embodiment ofthe present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an inner shell of a neck fan according toan embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a turbo fan of a neck fan according to anembodiment of the present application.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a neck fan in according to a firstembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the neck fan of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a neck fan in according to a secondembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the neck fan of FIG. 7 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among thedifferent figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Inaddition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein.However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat the exemplary embodiments described herein may be practiced withoutthese specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, andcomponents have not been described in detail so as not to obscure therelated relevant feature being described. Also, the description is notto be considered as limiting the scope of the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and theproportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustratedetails and features of the present disclosure.

The term “comprising” when utilized, means “including, but notnecessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusionor membership in the so-described combination, group, series, and thelike. The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way oflimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which likereferences indicate similar elements. It should be noted that referencesto “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily tothe same embodiment, and such references can mean “at least one”. Inaddition, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptivepurposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implyingrelative importance or implying the number of indicated technicalfeatures. Thus, the features defined as “first” and “second” mayexplicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. Inthe description of embodiments of the invention, “a plurality of” meanstwo or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the present disclosureprovides a neck fan including a body portion 1 and a fan assembly 2. Thebody portion 1 may be worn around a neck of a user. The body portion 1defines an air duct 11. The body portion 1 defines a plurality of airoutlets 12 communicating with the an outside of the neck fan and the airduct 11. In this way, air in the air duct 11 may flow to the outsidethrough the air outlets 12. The fan assembly 2 is mounted on the bodyportion 1 and is configured to drive the air from the outside into theair duct 11 and blow the air to the outside through the air outlets 12.The air driven into the air duct 11 through fan assembly 2 has a certainspeed. Therefore, a wind pressure difference is present between aninside and the outside of air outlets 12, i.e., between the air duct andthe outside. In this case, while the air is being blown to the outsidethrough the air outlets 12, due to the wind pressure difference, some ofthe air in the air duct 11 may flow out of the air duct 11 through airoutlets 12 to reach the neck to cool the user. In an embodiment, theplurality of air outlets 12 are evenly distributed and spaced apart fromeach other. Therefore, when being worn, the body portion 1 surrounds afront, a side and a back of the neck, and the air blown out from the airoutlets 12 may be directed to the front, the side and the back of theneck. In this way, a range that the air may reach is expanded, and theuser may be cooled from various directions. The neck fan is highlyapplicable and may be used conveniently.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the body portion 1 may be bent and tubular and maybe made of an elastic material that can be extended and retracted. Whenputting on the body portion, two ends of the body portion 1 may bepulled apart from each other to form a gap, and a size of the gap may begreater than a size (such as a diameter) of the neck. After the neck fanis worn to the neck, the body portion may be reset, i.e., the two endsmay be reset to original positions, and the gap between the two ends ofthe body portion may be reduced. In some embodiments, when the two endsare at the original positions, the two ends may be spaced apart fromeach other, and a size of the gap therebetween may be less than the sizeof the neck. In some embodiments, when the two ends of the body portionare at the original positions, the two ends may be connected to eachother, such that the body portion is ring-shaped (such as forming anenclosed circle). The body portion 1 may be made of plastic. The usermay carry the body portion easily and may feel comfortable when wearingthe body portion. The air outlets 12 are oriented towards an insideand/or a top of the bent and tubular body portion. Therefore, whilebeing worn, the neck does not cover the air outlets 12, allowing the airto be blown out the air outlets 12 to the neck smoothly. In detail, someof the air outlets 12 defined in the body portion 1 are oriented towardsthe inside of the tubular body portion, and some of the air outlets 12are oriented towards the top of the tubular body portion 1, increasing arange covered by the air supplied from the air outlets 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , each of two ends of the body portion 1defines a mounting cavity 13. The fan assembly 2 is received in themounting cavity 13 to be mounted with the body portion 1. A portion ofthe body portion 1 corresponding to the mounting cavity 13 defines anair inlet 131. The fan assembly 2 is fixedly received in the mountingcavity 13. When the fan assembly 2 is operating, the fan assembly 2draws in the air in the outside through the air inlet 131, and isconfigured to accelerate the air to drive the air to flow into the airduct 11. In the present embodiment, two ends of the body portion 1define two mounting cavities 13, and two fan assemblies 2 may bereceived in the two mounting cavities 13, respectively. Each of the twofan assemblies 2 may operate independently. A plate 111 may be arrangedin a middle of the air duct 11 to divide the air duct 11 into twosections. One of the two sections of the air duct 11 corresponds to oneof the two fan assemblies 2. By arranging the plate 111, a length of theair duct 11 may be reduced effectively, ensuring an air velocity at anair outlet 12, which is further away from the fan assembly 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 , the fan assembly 2 includes a fan blade 21,a motor (not shown in the figures) which drives the fan blade 21 torotate to generate an air flow, a battery 22 which provides power to themotor, a main control circuit board 23 which controls a rotation speedof the motor, and a gear switch 24 electrically connected to the maincontrol circuit board 23. When the neck fan needs to be initiated, thegear switch 24 may be pressed, and the main control circuit board 23 mayreceive a signal from the gear switch 24. After receiving the signal,the main control circuit board 23 controls the motor to rotate to drivethe fan blade 21 to rotate. Rotation of the fan blade 21 may lead theair at the outside to flow into the fan assembly 2 under the windpressure, and the air may be guided by the fan assembly 2 to flow intothe air duct 11. When the wind speed of the air flowing out of the airoutlets 12 needs to be adjusted, the gear switch 24 may be pressed togenerate various gear signals. The main control circuit board 23 mayreceive the gear signals and control the rotation speed of the motor tofurther control the rotation speed of the fan blade 21 connected to themotor. Accordingly, a speed of the air driven by the fan assembly 2 toflow into the air duct 11 and a speed of the air flowing out through theair outlets 12 may change. A partition 14 may be arranged inside thebody portion 1. The partition 14 separates an inner space of the bodyportion 1 into a shaped cavity 15 and the air duct 11. The battery 22and the circuit board both are received in the shaped cavity 15. Thebattery 22 may be disposed in a middle of the inner space of the bodyportion 1. In this way, the fan assemblies 2 are arranged at the twoends of body portion 1, whereas the battery 2 is arranged at the middleof the body portion 1, the two ends of the body portion 1 may not be tooheavy, and weights of the two ends of the body portion 1 may bebalanced, preventing a weight center of the body portion 1 from beingshifted towards one side.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a cross-sectional area of the air duct 11 graduallydecreases from the two ends to the middle of the body portion 1. The airflowing from the two ends to the middle of the body portion 1 maygenerate a frictional force. At the same time, the cross-sectional areaof the air duct 11 decreases from the two ends to the middle of the bodyportion 1, i.e., the cross-sectional area that the air passes throughwhile flowing in the air duct 11 decreases. In this way, an effect ofthe frictional force on slowing down the speed of the air flow in theair duct 11 may be partially or completely eliminated. The speed of theair flowing out of the air outlets 12 may be controlled within a certainrange, solving a problem of a large difference between the speed of theair flowing out of an air outlet 12 at or near the two ends of the airduct 11 and the speed of the air flowing out of an air outlet 12 in themiddle of the air duct 11.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the body portion 1 includes an outer shell 16 andan inner shell 17. Compared to the body portion 1 configured as aone-piece structure, the body portion 1 of the present embodiment isassembled from the outer shell 16 and the inner shell 17, allowing thefan assemblies to be processed and assembled more simply, and allowinglater maintenance to be performed more easily. The partition 14 isarranged on the inner shell 17 and extends towards the outer shell 16.The air duct 11 is defined cooperatively by the inner shell 17, theouter shell 16 and the partition 14. When the outer shell 16 isconnected to the inner shell 17, the partition 14 tightly abuts againstan inner side of the outer shell 16, preventing the air in the air duct11 from entering the shaped cavity 15. The air outlets 12 are defined inthe inner shell 17. A portion of the inner shell 17 that contacts theneck of the user extending upwardly to form a curved surface 171. Thecurved surface 171 may be inclined at a certain angle relative to theportion that contacts the neck of the user, and the air outlets 12 aredefined in the curved surface 171, such that the air outlets 12 areoriented towards the inner side of the tubular body portion.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 , the fan assembly 2 includes a turbine fan25. The turbine fan 25 defines two inlet windows 251, increasing acirculation area and an efficiency of the turbine fan 25 communicatingwith the external air. A cavity wall of the mounting cavity 13 definestwo air inlets 131 corresponding to the two inlet windows 251 of theturbine fan 25. When the turbine fan 25 is rotating, the external airmay enter the inlet windows 251 through the air inlets 131. A guide post132 is arranged on the cavity wall of the mounting cavity 13 and extendstowards the turbine fan 25. The turbine fan 25 defines a guide hole 251corresponding to the guide post 132. When the turbine fan 25 is receivedin the mounting cavity 13, the guide post 132 extends into the guidehole 251, thereby securing the turbine fan 25 in the mounting cavity 13.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the turbine fan 25 defines an air outlet port 252,which is corresponding to and communicating with the air duct 11. An airflow generated by the turbine fan 25 enters the air duct 11 through theair outlet port 252. A portion of a wall of the air outlet port 252 isreceived in the air duct 11. The portion of the wall of the air outletport 252 tightly abuts against a wall of the air duct 11, reducing aloss of the air flow generated by the turbine fan 25 while the air isbeing guided into the air duct 11.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , FIG. 5 is a schematic viewof a neck fan according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG. 6 is an explosive view of the neck fan of FIG. 5 . The neck fan 30includes an arc-shaped shell 10 and at least four fan assemblies 20. Theat least four fan assemblies 20 may be arranged inside the arc-shapedshell 10. It shall be understood that, for illustration purposes only,in the following embodiment, the neck fan 30 including the at least fourfan assemblies 20 will be taken as an example for illustration.

The arc-shaped shell 10 may be worn to surround the neck of the user.The arc-shaped shell 10 includes a first portion 11 and a second portion12. The first portion 11 and the second portion 12 are arranged aroundtwo sides of the neck, such as a left side and a right side. Each of thefirst portion 11 and the second portion 12 includes an inner wall 101configured to be close to the neck, an outer wall 102 opposite to theinner wall 101, a top wall 103 close to a head of the user andconnecting between the inner wall 101 and the outer wall 102, and abottom wall 104 opposite to the top wall 103 and connecting between theinner wall 101 and the outer wall 102.

The inner wall 101, the outer wall 102, the top wall 103, and the bottomwall 104 cooperatively define a receiving space 105. Each of the firstportion 11 and the second portion 102 defines air inlets 106 and airoutlets 107 communicating with the receiving space 105. In detail, inthe present embodiment, the inner wall 101, the bottom wall 104, and thetop wall 103 may be connected into an integrated structure (such as, aone-piece structure) to serve as a first side wall. The outer wall 102may serve as a second side wall opposite to the first side wall. Thefirst side wall and the second side wall cooperatively define thereceiving space 105.

At least one partition 13 is received inside the receiving space 105 todivide the receiving space 105 into at least two receiving sub-spaces105 a and 150 b. The at least two receiving sub-spaces 105 a and 150 bare arranged successively along an extension direction of the arc-shapedshell 10. Each of the at least two receiving sub-spaces correspond toand communicate with some of the air inlets 106 and some of the airoutlets 107. Each of the fan assemblies is received in one correspondingreceiving sub-space. Each of the fan assemblies is configured to guidethe air, which flows into the corresponding receiving sub-space throughcorresponding air inlets 106, to flow to air outlets 107 correspondingto the receiving sub-space, allowing the air to be blown out through thecorresponding air outlets 107. The number of the air outlets 107 may bemore than one. The more than one air outlets may be distributed alongthe extension direction of the arc-shaped shell 10. Sizes, shapes of theair outlets 107 and/or distances between every two adjacent air outlets107 vary gradually along the extension direction of the arc-shaped shell10.

Compared to the neck fan in the art, in the neck fan 30 illustrated inthe above-mentioned embodiments, the arc-shaped shell 10 includes thefirst portion 11 and the second portion 12. The first portion 11 and thesecond portion 12 are configured to be around two opposite sides of theneck. Each of the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 defines thereceiving space 105, the air inlets 106, and the air outlets 107. Theair inlets 106 and the air outlets 107 communicate with the receivingspace 105. Each receiving space 105 is divided into at least tworeceiving sub-spaces by the partition 13. Each of the fan assemblies 20is arranged in one of the receiving sub-spaces and configured to guidethe air at the air inlets 106 to flow to the air outlets 107 to be blownout. Since the fan assemblies 20 are received in the receiving space105, foreign matters, such as hair, may not be absorbed into the fanassemblies easily, allowing the neck fan to be used safely andconveniently. In the present embodiment, four receiving sub-spaces 105 aand 105 b are defined along the extension direction of the arc-shapedshell 10, and four fan assemblies 20 may be arranged and received infour receiving sub-spaces respectively. Since a plurality of thereceiving sub-spaces 105 a and 105 b are defined, a length of the airduct in each of the receiving sub-spaces may be relatively short. Whenthe air is flowing in each of the receiving sub-spaces, a concentrationof the air being output may be reduced, the user may be comfortableabout the air output, wind noise may be reduced, and an air volume lossmay be reduced. The applicant of the present disclosure finds that, thelonger the air duct, the longer period of time that the air flows alongthe receiving sub-space, increasing the wind noise and the air volumeloss. By dividing the receiving space 105 into the plurality ofreceiving sub-spaces 105 a and 105 b, the wind noise and the air volumeloss may be reduced significantly. In addition, by determining anextension direction, sizes, shapes of the air outlets 107 and distancesbetween two adjacent air outlets 107, the user may be more comfortableabout the air output from the neck fan 30, the air may be output fromthe neck fan 30 more softly, improving the user's experiences.

Further, each fan assembly 20 includes a driving shaft 21 and a fanblade assembly 22 mounted on the driving shaft 21. The driving shaft 21extends from the inner wall 101 towards the outer wall 102. In this way,a thickness of the arc-shaped shell 10 along a direction from the innerwall 101 to the outer wall 102 may be reduced, such that the user may becomfortable when wearing the neck fan.

Further, the air inlets 106 are defined in the outer wall 102, and theair outlets 107 are defined in the top wall 103. It shall be understoodthat, the air inlets 106 are defined in the outer wall 102, and theouter wall 102 faces outwardly (i.e., opposite to the neck of the user),and therefore, the air may enter the shell easily and smoothly. Inaddition, the air outlets 107 are defined in the top wall 103, and thedriving shaft 21 extends from the inner wall 101 to the outer wall 102.In this way, the fan blade assemblies 20 may direct the air from the airinlets 106 to the air outlets 107 to achieve a high air guidingefficiency. Moreover, the air outlets 107 are defined in the top wall103, such that the air may be output towards a face and the head of theuser, such that the user may be cooled rapidly.

Further, an end of the driving shaft 21 is fixedly arranged on the innerwall 101. It shall be understood that, such arrangement together withthe air inlets 106 defined in the outer wall 102 allows the air inlets106 to be unblocked, achieving a better air inlet effect.

Further, each fan assembly 20 corresponds to a plurality of air inlets106. It shall be understood that, air is guided into the fan assembly 20through the plurality of fan inlets 106, allowing the neck fan to have abetter appearance, preventing foreign matters from entering the fanassembly 20 easily, increasing usage safety.

Further, the number of the air inlets 106 corresponding to each fanassembly 20 may be the same. The air inlets 106 corresponding to eachfan assembly 20 are distributed in a circular shape. It shall beunderstood that, such arrangement allows the neck fan to have a betterappearance, and prevents foreign matters from entering the fan assembly20 easily. A better air inlet effect may be achieved due to sucharrangement and shapes of the fan assemblies 20.

Further, a plurality of air inlets 108 are defined in the inner wall 101corresponding to each fan assembly 20. The fan assembly 20 can guide theair from the air inlets 108 to the air outlets 107. Each of theplurality of air inlets 108 is arc shaped. The plurality of air inlets108 corresponding to each fan assembly 20 are distributed in a circularshape. It shall be understood that, such arrangement allows the neck fanto have a better appearance, and prevents foreign matters from enteringthe fan assembly 20 easily. A better air inlet effect may be achieveddue to such arrangement and shapes of the fan assemblies 20.

Further, the fan blade assembly 22 is a turbine fan blade assembly. Itshall be understood that the turbine fan blade assembly may reduce thewind noise and improves the usage safety.

Further, the neck fan 30 further includes a connecting portion 14connected between the first portion 11 and the second portion 12. Theconnecting portion 14 is configured to join the first portion 11 and thesecond portion 12 into an integrated structure. In the presentembodiment, the connecting portion 14 may be configured as an individualelement. In some embodiments, the connecting portion 14 may beintegrally formed with one of the first portion 11 and the secondportion 12, and then assembled with the other of the first portion 11and the second portion 12. A structure of the connecting portion 14 maybe various, and shall not be limited by the present disclosure.

The first portion 11 further includes an end plate 109 disposed at anend of the first portion 11 away from the connecting portion 14. Thesecond portion 12 further includes an end plate 109 disposed at an endof the second portion 12 away from the connecting portion 14. Each endplate 109 is connected to the top wall 103, the bottom wall 104, theinner wall 101 and the outer wall 102. Sizes of the air inlets 106corresponding to the fan assembly 20 arranged near the connectingportion 14 are less than those of the air inlets 106 corresponding tothe fan assembly 20 arranged near the end plate 109. An outer diameterof the fan assembly 20 arranged near the connecting portion 14 is lessthat that of the fan assembly 20 arranged near the end plate 109. Inother words, an end of the first portion 11 at which the end plate 109is disposed may serve as a free end, and an end of the second portion 12at which the end plate 109 is disposed may serve as another free end. Anend of the first portion 11 near the connecting portion 14 may serve asa connecting end, and an end of the second portion 12 near theconnecting portion 14 may serve as another connecting end. In thepresent embodiment, the sizes of the air inlets 106 corresponding to thefan assembly 20 arranged near the connecting end are less than those ofthe air inlets 106 corresponding to the fan assembly 20 arranged nearthe free end. The outer diameter of the fan assembly 20 arranged nearthe connecting end is less than that of the fan assembly 20 arrangednear the free end. It shall be understood that, by determining varioussizes of the air inlets 106 and various outer diameters of the fan bladeassemblies 20, a size of the arc-shaped shell 10 may be graduallyreduced along a direction from the end plate 109 to the connectingportion 14, such that the shell 10 is more suitable to a curve of theneck, allowing the user to be comfortable. In the present embodiment,the end plate 109 may be arc shaped, providing a better appearance. Theshape of the end plate 109 may further be suitable to shapes of thereceiving sub-spaces 105 a and shapes of the fan assemblies 20 toachieve a better air inlet and outlet effect.

It shall be understood that, for each of the first portion 11 or thesecond portion 12, the inner wall 101, the top wall 103, the bottom wall104, the end plate 109, and the partition 13 may be formed as aone-piece structure. The outer wall 102 may be buckled with the top wall103, the bottom wall 104, and the end plate 109 through a buckle. Theremay be various types of buckles and various means to connect the abovestructure integrally, which will not be limited by the presentdisclosure.

Further, the number of the air outlets 107 may be more than one. Themore than one air outlets 107 are distributed along the extensiondirection of the arc-shaped shell 10 and extends to a position near theconnecting portion 14. Sizes of the more than one air outlets 107gradually decrease along a direction from the end plate 109 to theconnecting portion 14. It shall be understood that, the more than oneair outlets 107 may improve the usage safety. Sizes of the more than oneair outlets 107 gradually decrease along the direction from the endplate 109 to the connecting portion 14, allowing the air to be output ina more concentrated manner, improving air outlet intensity. In addition,sizes of the receiving sub-spaces 105 a and 105 b gradually decreasealong the extension direction of the air duct. Therefore, the air outputfrom the overall neck fan may be more uniform, and the user may feelcomfortable. In detail, the extension direction of the arc-shaped shell10 includes a first extension direction and a second extensiondirection. A direction extending from the first portion 11 to the secondportion 12 may be referred to as a first extension direction D1. Thesizes of the more than one air outlets 107 defined in the first portion11 are gradually reduced along the first extension direction D 1. Adirection extending from the second portion 12 to the first portion 11is referred to as a second extension direction D2. The sizes of the morethan one air outlets 107 defined in the second portion 12 are graduallyreduced along the second extension direction D2. Furthermore, each ofthe air outlets 107 is a strip-shaped air outlet. An extension directionof the strip-shaped air outlet may be inclined in a preset anglerelative to the extension direction of the arc-shaped shell 10. Thepreset angle may be 90 degrees. It shall be understood that, by definingthe air outlets 107 in the above extension direction, the air outlet ofthe neck fan 30 may be softer, and the user may be more comfortable,improving the user's experience. In particular, when the preset angle is90 degrees, the air outlet efficiency of the air outlets 107 isimproved. In addition, a cross-sectional area of the air duct of thefirst portion is gradually decreased along a direction from the firstportion to the second portion; and/or a cross-sectional area of the airduct of the second portion is gradually decreased along a direction fromthe second portion to the first portion.

Further, the partition 13 is connected to a surface of the inner wall101 facing the outer wall 102 and extends towards the outer wall 102.The partition 13 includes a partition body 130, a first guiding portion131, and a second guiding portion 132. One end of the partition body 130is connected to an end of the bottom wall 104 near the end plate 109.The other end of the partition body 130 extends towards a middle of thetop wall 103 to be close to a middle of the top wall 103. The firstguiding portion 131 includes a first sub-portion 131 a and a secondsub-portion 131 b. The first sub-portion 131 a surrounds a periphery ofthe fan assembly 20 arranged near the end plate 109. The second portion131 b is connected between the first portion 131 a and the top wall 103.The second guiding portion 132 is connected to the partition body 130and surrounds a periphery of the fan assembly 20 near the connectingportion 14. It shall be understood that, the partition body 130 isconfigured to divide the receiving space 105 into the two receivingsub-spaces 105 a and 105 b. The first guiding portion 131 and the secondguiding portion 132 are configured to match shapes of the fan bladeassemblies 22 so as to guide the air and achieve a better air outleteffect.

Further, an end of the second guiding portion 132 away from thepartition body 130 extends to reach the connecting portion 14. Along adirection from the end plate 109 to the connecting portion 14, adistance between the second guiding portion 132 and the bottom wall 103is gradually reduced until the second guiding portion 132 is tangent tothe bottom wall 103, and then the distance between the second guidingportion 132 and the bottom wall 103 is gradually increased to apredetermined value and remains at the predetermined value. Thepredetermined value may be determined according to actual demands, forexample, in some embodiments, the predetermined value may be a half of adistance between the top wall 103 and the bottom wall 104. Sucharrangement of the second guiding portion 132 allows the air duct toextend to reach the connecting portion 14. In addition, some of the airoutlets 107 are defined near the connecting portion 14. In this way, arange of the air output from the neck fan 30 is larger, improving thecooling effect.

Further, the neck fan 30 further includes an electronic control assembly15. The electronic control assembly 15 includes a battery and a printedcircuit board 151. The second guiding portion 132 and the partition body130 cooperatively define a receiving chamber 133 to receive at leastpart of the electronic control assembly 15. It shall be understood, theelectronic control assembly 15 are received in the receiving chamber133, preventing heat generated by the electronic control assembly 15from entering the receiving sub-spaces 105 a and 150 b, and therefore,the cooling effect may not be affected. In addition, such arrangementallows individual arrangement of heat dissipation and wiring of theelectronic control assembly 15, thereby improving the usage safety.

Further, the electronic control assembly 15 further includes a switchbutton 152 and a data port 153. The outer wall 102 of the second portion12 defines a first opening 102 a corresponding to the switch button 152and a second opening 102 b corresponding to the data port 153. Theswitch button 152 is mounted corresponding to the first opening 102 aand connected to the printed circuit board 151. The data port 153 ismounted corresponding to the second opening 102 b and connected to theprinted circuit board 151. Such arrangement allows the user to operatethe neck fan easily, improving user's experience. Furthermore, it shallbe understood, in addition to the electronic control assembly 15,structures and elements of the first portion 11 and the second portion12 are symmetrically arranged to increase wearing comfort.

Further, the outer wall 102 includes a main plate 1021 and an auxiliaryplate 1022. A shape and a position of the auxiliary plate 1022correspond to those of the partition 13. The auxiliary plate 1021 isconnected between the main plate 1021 and the partition 13. It shall beunderstood that the auxiliary plate 1022 and the partition 13cooperatively define the air duct of the fan assembly 20, so as toachieve a better air guiding effect.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , FIG. 7 is a schematicview of a neck fan 30 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, and FIG. 8 is an explosive view of the neck fan 30 of FIG. 7. The neck fan 30 includes an arc-shaped shell 10 and at least four fanassemblies 20. The at least four fan assemblies 20 are arranged insidethe arc-shaped shell 10. It shall be understood that, in the presentembodiment, a neck fan having four fan assemblies 20 may be taken as anexample for illustration.

The arc-shaped shell 10 may be hung around the neck of the user. Thearc-shaped shell 10 includes a first portion 11 and a second portion 12.The first portion 11 and the second portion 12 are arranged around twosides of the neck, such as a left side and a right side. Each of thefirst portion 11 and the second portion 12 includes a side wall thatdefines a receiving space 105. Each of the first portion 11 and thesecond portion 12 defines air inlets 106 and air outlets 107communicating with the receiving space 105.

At least one partition 13 is received in the receiving space 105 todivide the receiving space 105 into at least two receiving sub-spaces105 a and 150 b. The at least two receiving sub-spaces 105 a and 150 bare arranged successively along an extension direction of the arc-shapedshell 10. Each of the at least two receiving sub-spaces correspond toand communicate with some of the air inlets 106 and some of the airoutlets 107. Each of the fan assemblies 20 is received in onecorresponding receiving sub-space. Each of the fan assemblies isconfigured to guide the air, which flows into the correspondingreceiving sub-space through corresponding air inlets 106, to flow to airoutlets 107 corresponding to the receiving sub-space, allowing the airto be blown out through the corresponding air outlets 107. The number ofthe air outlets 107 may be more than one. The more than one air outlets107 may be distributed along the extension direction of the arc-shapedshell 10. Sizes, shapes of the air outlets 107 and/or distances betweenevery two adjacent air outlets 107 vary gradually along the extensiondirection of the arc-shaped shell 10.

Compared to the neck fan in the art, in the neck fan 30 illustrated inthe above-mentioned embodiments, the arc-shaped shell 10 includes thefirst portion 11 and the second portion 12. The first portion 11 and thesecond portion 12 are configured to be around two opposite sides of theneck. Each of the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 defines thereceiving space 105, the air inlets 106, and the air outlets 107. Theair inlets 106 and the air outlets 107 communicate with the receivingspace 105. Each receiving space 105 is divided into at least tworeceiving sub-spaces 105 a and 105 b by the partition 13. Each of thefan assemblies 20 is arranged in one of the receiving sub-spaces andconfigured to guide the air at the air inlets 106 to flow to the airoutlets 107 to be blown out. Since the fan assemblies 20 are received inthe receiving space 105, foreign matters, such as hair, may not beabsorbed into the fan assemblies easily, allowing the neck fan to beused safely and conveniently. In the present embodiment, four receivingsub-spaces 105 a and 105 b are defined along the extension direction ofthe arc-shaped shell 10, and four fan assemblies 20 may be arranged andreceived in four receiving sub-spaces respectively. Since a plurality ofthe receiving sub-spaces 105 a and 105 b are defined, a length of theair duct in each of the receiving sub-spaces may be relatively short.When the air is flowing in each of the receiving sub-spaces, aconcentration of the air being output may be reduced, the user may becomfortable about the air output, wind noise may be reduced, and an airvolume loss may be reduced. The applicant of the present disclosurefinds that, the longer the air duct, the longer period of time that theair flows along the receiving sub-space, increasing the wind noise andthe air volume loss. By dividing the receiving space 105 into theplurality of receiving sub-spaces 105 a and 105 b, the wind noise andthe air volume loss may be reduced significantly.

In detail, the side wall includes a first side wall 101′ configured tobe close to the neck of the user and a second side wall 102 opposite tothe first side wall 101′. The air inlets 106 are defined in the secondside wall 102, and the air outlets 107 are defined in a region of thefirst side wall 101′ adjacent to the second side wall 102 or defined ina region of the second side wall 102 adjacent to the first side wall101′. In the present embodiment, the air outlets 107 are defined in theregion of the first side wall 101′ adjacent to the second side wall 102and are close to the user's head and face.

Further, in detail, a direction extending from the first portion 11 tothe second portion 12 may be referred to as a first extension directionD1. The sizes of the more than one air outlets 107 defined in the firstportion 11 are gradually reduced along the first extension direction D1. A direction extending from the second portion 12 to the first portion11 is referred to as a second extension direction D2. The sizes of themore than one air outlets 107 defined in the second portion 12 aregradually reduced along the second extension direction D2. Furthermore,each of the air outlets 107 is a strip-shaped air outlet. An extensiondirection of the strip-shaped air inlet may be inclined in a presetangle relative to the extension direction of the arc-shaped shell 10.The preset angle may be 90 degrees. It shall be understood that, bydefining the air outlets 107 in the above extension direction, the airoutlet of the neck fan 30 may be softer, and the user may be morecomfortable, improving the user's experience. In particular, when thepreset angle is 90 degrees, the air outlet efficiency of the air outlets107 is improved. In some embodiments, the air outlets 107 may be atleast one of petal-shaped and heart-shaped. It shall be understood that,both the petal-shaped air outlets 107 and the heart-shaped air outlets107 may output the air uniformly and provides better appearance for theneck fan.

Further, each fan assembly 20 includes a driving shaft 21 and a fanblade assembly 22 mounted on the driving shaft 21. The driving shaft 21extends from the first side wall 101′ towards the second side wall 102.In this way, a thickness of the arc-shaped shell 10 along a directionfrom the first side wall 101′ to the second side wall 102 may bereduced, such that the user may be comfortable when wearing the neckfan.

It shall be understood, the air inlets 106 are defined in the secondside wall 102, and the second side wall 102 faces outwardly (i.e., awayfrom the user's neck) allowing the air to flow into the air inlets 106easily, allowing the air to flow in smoothly. Such arrangement togetherwith the driving shaft 21 extending along the direction from the firstside wall 101′ to the second side wall 102 enables the fan bladeassembly 22 to direct the air from the air inlets 106 to the air outlets107, thereby achieving a relatively high air guiding efficiency.Moreover, the air outlets 107 are defined at the first side wall 101′close to the user's head and face, such that the air may be directed outtowards the user's head and face, thereby achieving better coolingeffect.

The first side wall 101′ defines a plurality of air inlets 108corresponding to each fan assembly 20. The fan assembly 20 can guide theair at the air inlets 108 to the air outlets 107. Each of the pluralityof air inlets 108 is arc shaped. The plurality of air inlets 108corresponding to each fan assembly are arranged in a circular shape. Itshall be understood, such arrangement provides a better appearance ofthe neck fan 30, and prevents the foreign matters from entering the fanassembly 20. Such arrangement together with shapes of the fan assemblies20 achieves a better air guiding effect.

In an embodiment, the first side wall defines the plurality of airinlets 108, and the second side wall defines the plurality of air inlets106. The first side wall faces the neck of the user, and the second sidewall is connected to the first side wall and faces away from the neck.Further, at least one of a region of the first side wall close to thesecond side wall and a region of the second side wall close to the firstside wall defines the plurality of air outlets 107. In addition, theplurality of air outlets 107 are located between the plurality of airinlets 108 of the first side wall and the plurality of air inlets 106 ofthe second side wall along an extension direction of the driving shaft21.

Further, the first portion 11 has a connecting end 10 a connected to thesecond portion 12 and a free end 10 b away from the connecting end 10 a;and the second portion 12 also has a connecting end 10 a connected tothe first portion 11 and a free end 10 b away from the connecting end 10a. Sizes of the air outlets 107 corresponding to the fan assembly 20adjacent to the connecting end 10 a are less than those of the airoutlets 107 corresponding to the fan assembly 20 adjacent to the freeend 10 b. An outer diameter of the fan blade assembly 22 adjacent to theconnecting end 10 a is less than that of the fan blade assembly 22adjacent to the free end 10 b. It shall be understood, the sizes of theair inlets 106 and the diameter of the fan blade assembly 22 enables asize of the arc-shaped shell 10 to be reduced gradually along adirection from the free end 10 b to the connecting end 10 a, such thatthe shape of the neck fan may fit a curve of the neck moreappropriately, increasing wearing comfort.

In the present embodiment, each of the first portion 11 and the secondportion 12 includes a cover 16. The cover 16 is disposed on a side ofthe second side wall 102 away from the first side wall 101′ andcorresponds to (such as covers) the air inlets 106. A gap 161communicated with the air inlets 106 is defined between an edge of thecover 16 and the second side wall 102 to allow air to flow into the airinlets 106.

Further, the second side wall 102 includes a main body 102 c and definesa recess 102 d. A wall of the recess 102 d is connected to the main body102 c. In other words, the side of the second side wall 102 away fromthe first side wall 101′ is recessed inwardly towards the first sidewall 101′ to define the recess 102 d. The air inlets 106 are defined atthe recess 102 d, such as defined in the bottom wall of the recess 102d. The cover 16 covers the recess 102 d. The cover 16 is partiallyconnected to the main body 102 c connected to wall of the recess 102 dto define the gap 161. It shall be understood, the cover 16 covers theair inlets 106, and air enters through the gap 161 and the air inlets106. In this way, a better appearance is provided, and the foreignmatters may be prevented from entering the fan assembly 20, increasingthe usage safety. Defining the recess 102 d further reduces an overallsize of the neck fan 30 and provides the appearance aesthetics.

Further, the cover 16 includes a cover body 162 and a first mountingportion 163 arranged at a side of the cover body 162 adjacent to thesecond side wall 102. A side of the second side wall 102 close to thecover 16 is arranged with a second mounting portion 102 e. In detail,the second mounting portion 102 e may be arranged on the wall of therecess 102 d and is located between the plurality of air inlets 106.

Further, the cover 16 further includes the cover body 162 and the firstmounting portion 163 arranged on the cover body 162. The second mountingportion 102 e is arranged on the second side wall 102 and is engagedwith the first mounting portion 163. Engagement between the secondmounting portion 102 e and the first mounting portion 163 enables thecover 16 to be mounted (such as detachably or movably mounted) on theside of the second side wall 102 away from the first side wall 101′. Itshall be understood, engagement between the first mounting portion 163and the second mounting portion 102 e enables the cover 16 to bedetachably or movably mounted onto the second side wall 102, allowingthe neck fan to be used or disassembled easily.

Further, the first mounting portion 163 and the second mounting portion102 e may be engaged in a first mounting state or in a second mountingstate. In the first mounting state, the gap 161 is defined between theedge of the cover 16 and the second side wall 102. In the secondmounting state, the edge of the cover 16 abuts against the second sidewall 102 so as to cover the air inlets 106. It shall be understood, thefirst mounting portion 163 and the second mounting portion 102 e may beengaged in the first mounting state or in the second mounting state.Therefore, in the first mounting state, the air can enter the fanassembly through the gap 161 and the air inlets 106; and in the secondmounting state, the gap 161 and the air inlets 106 are covered, and dustmay be prevented from entering the arc-shaped shell through the airinlets 106 when the neck fan 30 is not in use, achieving the dustproofeffect.

It shall be understood, the first mounting state and the second mountingstate may be switched from one to the other. In some embodiments,elastic fasteners may be configured, serving as the first mountingportion and the second mounting portion. In this way, the first mountingstate and the second mounting state may be switched by pressing thecover 16 along a direction facing the second side wall 102. For example,a first press is made to switch from the first mounting state to thesecond mounting state, and a next press is made to switch from thesecond mounting state to the first mounting state. There are variousstructures for implementing the above-mentioned press switch control,which will not be described specifically hereinafter.

In the present embodiment, the first mounting portion 163 may be amounting shaft connected to the cover body 162, and the second mountingportion 102 e may be a mounting hole corresponding to the mountingshaft. In other embodiments, the first mounting portion 163 may be amounting hole defined in the cover body 162, and the second mountingportion 102 e may be a mounting shaft corresponding to the mountinghole. It shall be understood, the mounting shaft may be received in themounting hole to engage the cover 16 to the second side wall 102,achieving an easy mounting operation.

In the present embodiment, the partition 13 includes a partition body131 and a guiding portion 132. A shape of the partition body 131 atleast partially fits to a shape of the fan assembly 20, and thepartition body 131 surrounds a periphery of the fan assembly 20. Theguiding portion 132 is connected to the partition body 131. The guidingportion 132 and the side wall cooperatively define the air ductcommunicated to the air outlets 107. It shall be understood that byadapting the partition part 131 to the shape of the fan assembly 20 andby configuring the guiding portion 132 and the side wall tocooperatively define the air duct 17 communicated to the air outlets107, a better air guiding effect may be achieved, and an air inlet andoutlet efficiency may be improved.

Further, for each of the first portion 11 and the second portion 12, theguiding portion 132 includes a first guiding sub-portion 132 a locatedbetween two fan assemblies 20 and a second guiding sub-portion 132 barranged at a side of one of the two fan assemblies 20 away from theother of the two fan assemblies. The second guiding sub-part 132 bextends from one of the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 tothe other of the first portion 11 and the second portion 12. A side ofthe second guiding sub-portion 132 b and the side wall cooperativelydefine an accommodating space 18. The neck fan 30 further includes anelectronic control assembly 15. The electronic control assembly 15includes a battery and a printed circuit board. The accommodating space18 is defined to receive at least one of the battery and the printedcircuit board. It shall be understood, by receiving the electroniccontrol assembly 15 in the accommodating space 18, configuration of theneck fan 30 may be effectively balanced, providing wearing comfort forthe user. In addition, the fan blade assembly 20 may be a turbine fanblade assembly. It shall be understood that the turbine fan bladeassembly may achieve lower noise and higher safety.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 , the present disclosure provides aturbine blade assembly 22 for a neck fan. The turbine blade assembly 22has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. Theturbine blade assembly 22 includes a first side blade disposed at thefirst side, a second side blade disposed at the second side, and aseparation plate disposed between the first side and the second side.The first side defines a first inlet window, and the second side definesa second inlet window. The first inlet window and the second inletwindow are defined to allow air to flow in from an outside of the neckfan. A bottom wall of the first inlet window is recessed from a planewhere the first side blade is disposed. A bottom wall of the secondinlet window is recessed from a plane where the second side blade isdisposed.

The above description only describes embodiments of the presentdisclosure, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, variousmodifications and changes can be made to the present disclosure. Anymodifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made withinthe spirit and scope of the present disclosure are intended to beincluded within the scope of the present disclosure.

1. A neck fan, configured to be worn around a neck of a user, the neckfan comprising: an inner shell, disposed near the neck; an outer shell,connected to the inner shell and disposed opposite to the inner shelland away from the neck, wherein the outer shell and the inner shellcooperatively define a receiving space; a plurality of fan assemblies,wherein each of the plurality of fan assemblies is received in thereceiving space; wherein each of the inner shell and the outer shelldefines a plurality of air inlets, each of the plurality of fanassemblies corresponds to both the plurality of air inlets in the innershell and the plurality of air inlets in the outer shell, each of theplurality of fan assemblies is configured to intake air from an outsideof the inner shell and the outer shell into the receiving space throughthe corresponding plurality of air inlets.
 2. The neck fan according toclaim 1, wherein at least one of the inner shell and the outer shelldefines a plurality of air outlets, and the plurality of air inlets andthe plurality of air outlets are communicating with the receiving space.3. The neck fan according to claim 2, wherein a partition is received inthe receiving space, and an air duct is defined by the partition, theinner shell, and the outer shell cooperatively and is communicating withthe plurality of air outlets.
 4. The neck fan according to claim 3,wherein each of the plurality of fan assemblies is configured to intakethe air from the outside of the neck fan through the correspondingplurality of air inlets and to guide the air to flow along the air ductto reach the plurality of air outlets.
 5. The neck fan according toclaim 3, wherein a cross-sectional area of the air duct is decreasedalong a direction away from a location where each of the plurality offan assemblies is disposed.
 6. The neck fan according to claim 3,further comprising a battery and a printed circuit board, wherein thepartition, the inner shell, and the outer shell further cooperativelydefine a receiving chamber, dis-communicated with the air duct, and thebattery and the printed circuit board are received in the receivingchamber.
 7. The neck fan according to claim 1, wherein, each of theplurality of fan assemblies comprises a driving shaft and a fan bladeassembly mounted on the driving shaft; and the driving shaft extendsfrom the inner shell towards the outer shell.
 8. The neck fan accordingto claim 7, wherein the fan blade assembly is a turbine blade assembly;and the turbine blade assembly includes a turbine fan, and the turbinefan defines two inlet windows corresponding to and communicating withthe plurality of air inlets in the inner shell and the plurality of airinlets in the outer shell respectively.
 9. The neck fan according toclaim 4, wherein each of the plurality of fan assemblies has an airoutput port communicating with the air duct, and each of the pluralityof fan assemblies is configured to drive the air intaken through thecorresponding plurality of air inlets to flow through the air outputport to enter the air duct.
 10. The neck fan according to claim 4,wherein the plurality of air outlets are spaced apart from each otherand located at positions corresponding to a circumference of the neck.11. The neck fan according to claim 1, wherein each of the inner shelland the outer shell comprises a cover corresponding to the plurality ofair inlets; and a first gap is defined between an edge of the cover forthe inner shell and a wall of the inner shell and is communicated withthe plurality of air inlets in the inner shell; and a second gap isdefined between an edge of the cover for the outer shell and a wall ofthe outer shell and is communicated with the plurality of air inlets inthe outer shell.